With the Abscence of Fire
by Fall of Mana
Summary: He should have been dead. At least, that's what Zuko thought. In all his life, the one thing he did not expect was to become part of the Water Nation. A warrior yes, a Waterbender? He'll need more time to wrap his head around it. AU.


My first Avatar fiction. Picked this idea up while watching The Legend of Korra. Hope you enjoy.

Avatar TLA does not belong to me.

* * *

He didn't know where he was when he awoke suddenly to the sound of crashing waves. What he did know at the moment was his body being immediately assaulted by frigid water in what he appeared to be the middle of a violent storm. There was chaos all around him as waves of icy sea threatened to take him under. Waving his hands frantically, a large swell of seawater rose up one after another tossing him around like a ragdoll.

"C-Cold -urk!" he shivered continuously, before another wave of the ocean came thundering down on him, sweeping him under the sea. He needed to find a way out before his body decided to pass out from the hypothermia that tried to take hold of him. Yet everywhere he looked, there was nothing but the night sea and he wondered briefly how he ended up in the middle of nowhere. Fighting to stay afloat, he rose from the depths gasping for air whenever he could.

"N-No good," his teeth chattered. "I c-can't hold on any l-longer."

He suddenly felt heavy. He couldn't remember anything that happened before he found himself violently awoken. Even if he tried to form a thought, the cold weather wasn't making it any better. He began panicking when, slowly, his lids closed on him, feeling himself drift into darkness when he suddenly felt the firm hold of hands that seemed to grab him out of thin air.

* * *

**With the Absence of Fire**

**By: Fall of Mana**

**A Refugee**

* * *

"Bad time to be out in a storm like this!" came a shout from a large water tribe vessel. The boat was long, extending out to fit a large amount of 10 or more so persons. Pakku ignored the comment for the moment, instead opting to control the boat with swift and steady hands of his water bending. While he agreed the storm settled in at an ill time during their routine patrolling, he couldn't help but wonder the unnatural appearance of it. Most weather conditions were relatively simple to spot, giving them ample time to return to shore or at the least prepare for it.

This one, however, appeared without warning.

He furrowed his eyebrows. Whatever the cause was did not bode well in his opinion. He'd have to speak to their spiritual leader, Nunca, about this later. It wouldn't do the northern city good to have a dreadful omen. It was bad enough when the Fire Nation killed the moon spirit, Tui, in an attempt to upset the balance, forcing Princess Yue to sacrifice herself to be the new moon spirit. If they decided to attack again, he wouldn't know what they would do with the Avatar not present. Pakku grunted as they passed over a large swell. Dismissing his trailing thoughts, he focused on the task at hand, pushing and pulling along with the ocean as they made their way to shore.

"Riku, steady the wheel right where it is, we have no need for any unnecessary maneuvering at the moment!" Master Pakku shouted over the deafening winds. "You can do that once we have sight of the Southern Gate!"

"Aye!"

"Master Pakku!" One Tribesman shouted frantically, forcing him to pause to look at him. "To the southwest, there's a body!"

He frowned staring in the direction of where his brethren pointed. The sea was dark almost pitch black out. Pakku squint his eyes to make out the darkness and surely enough, just a few meters out was what looked to be a body floating in the water. He wasn't sure. It could have been anything. How one of the sailors managed to spot it and at such a distance was an amazing feat. But then another question was raised.

What was a person doing out here in the middle of nowhere? Better yet, was the person even still alive? The temperatures in these arctic waters were unforgiving and it would only take minutes for a person to freeze to death before they even drowned.

"Men bring the boat closer! If the body's deceased we'll leave it be!" There were a chorus of "yes" and those that didn't comment chose to nod instead. Closing the distance on the floating object, the sight became clear it was a body floating along the waves of the storm. Pakku managed to grab a hold of the collar before the victim went under pulling him up the bow of the boat. "Help me pull him!"

"Is it dead?" one of them shouted and Pakku turned the body over. It was a young male, most likely a teenager, he thought. The face of Sokka suddenly popped into his mind and he shook his head, erasing the notion. The body suddenly shivered, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Spirits! He's…he's alive!" he shouted, astonished. "Quickly, get me a parka and some blankets; we need to warm him up!" Two men nodded and left for the needed supplies while Pakku pulled on the wet cloth that was his shirt. It was miracle that someone like him was even alive, especially out in a storm like this, Pakku thought to himself. He couldn't help but sigh in relief at the thought as well. He was better off questioning the boy of his location in the ocean rather than leaving a body out at sea. Death, while natural, was a saddening moment no matter where it was.

He was lucky to be alive, lucky to be alive indeed.

* * *

He never felt so cold in his life. He wondered where the feeling of freezing dread had come from. He tried to remember what happened to him to reach this state, but everything in his memory was a blur. Was he dead? He wasn't sure. Everything was as black as the color itself. If it weren't for the voices he kept hearing, he would have thought to be utterly alone in the darkness.

"_Zuko…"_

The voice had a familiar ring to it. It was soothing, almost as smooth as silk, yet firm in its tone.

"_Wake up, Zuko…"_

The more it spoke, the more clearly he realized his mind began to form. "Th…at's rig…ht," he thought. "My…n…ame is Zu...ko. I'm…Fire…nation"

"_Please wake up, Zuko…"_

A picture was starting to form in his mind the more the voice spoke to him. It was a feminine figure; long white tresses of hair were resting against her petite shoulders with charming dark skin. She held her hand against her chest, gazing down at his figure worriedly when clarity began showing in his eyes. What drew him to her were the eyes. She had hues as deep and as blue as a cloudless sky during a cool evening. And he had seen those eyes somewhere before.

"_We need you…"_

For a brief moment, the picture became clear, and he uttered the words of the person he thought he saw from his lips.

"K-at-ar-a…" he whispered, but the picture soon disappeared and was soon met with a brightly lit ceiling. He slowly blinked, his eyes slowly struggling to adjust to the shift in dark and light colors. He still felt cold, but not as much as before. He also realized that his entire body ached very badly and it was hard for him to even move, so he opted to lie still for a moment before trying again.

"Ah, I see our young friend is awake."

Zuko slowly blinked again. He couldn't see who it was that was talking; it was still hard to maneuver. In most situations, he would have tensed and panicked from being ambushed or possibly held prisoner, but he was too tired to even do that. For now, he would wait and assess the situation first before he made any judgment whether or not he was in danger. Finally, a man came into his view; his hair was almost a pale white that went along with his beard and mustache. His hands were folded inside his blue parka, and his eyes glanced over Zuko's form, eyeing him critically. A blue parka. He slowly narrowed his eyes.

If he had to take a guess, he would be in the Northern Water Nation.

"No need to worry my, boy," The man commented, removing his right hand to stroke his beard, noticing Zuko's tense gaze. That gesture was familiar to Zuko as well, he quickly noticed. "You're not in any danger. In fact, you're quite lucky to be alive. Not many people are found drifting out at sea and live to tell the tale, especially during a storm. You've been out of it for almost two days."

Zuko quirked his mouth into a small frown. He briefly closed his eyes, contemplating something before opening them. He still couldn't remember anything just yet. So he was found in the middle of the sea?

"W…where….am I?" he almost whispered. He already had an inkling of where he might be, but it was easier to get clarification from someone else more clearheaded than he was. He still couldn't trust his judgment just yet. For, now he would try to get as much information as he could and maybe help clear his head a little more if this man was willing to answer any of his questions.

The man nodded, apparently satisfied to get a response from him. "You're in the Northern Water Tribe; the northern most land just North West of the Air Temple and Ba Sing Se. We were sailing at sea when we ran into a storm and found you in it." He crossed his arms again, this time a small frown adorning his face. "By all rights, you should be dead. Yet here you are. My boy, what is your name?"

Zuko tensed again. He opened his mouth to utter a name, but closed his mouth again. He was ready slip out a lie, and then thought he'd better not. He couldn't trust these people yet, especially with what they might already know about him if he suddenly did decide to lie. He stared up at the ceiling and remained silent, thinking of a way to avoid the question.

"Pakku!"

Pakku blinked and turned his head towards the doorway to see a woman in similar age march right up to him with a scowl. "By Tui and La's name, what are you doing?"

Pakku scratched the back of his head sheepishly, suddenly nervous. "It is nothing serious, alright Yagoda? I heard from Ilyia that your recent patient had awoken and I wanted to see him for myself. I was the one who brought him in you know," he replied with a sigh. Yagoda grunted.

"Be that as that may, he is still in no condition for one of your little interrogations…"

Pakku suddenly looked affronted. "Now see here, woman…!" Yagoda glared fiercely and Pakku realized his mistake. "That is to say…ehm…"

"You've been getting a little bold lately Pakku and I don't like it. Now you will leave this boy alone until I deem him fit to be in a healthy condition…"

"But-"

Yagoda shook her head before he could get another word in. "Do we have an understanding?" She cut in and Pakku deflated in defeat. "Very well, but as soon as he is out of bed, at least let me know."

Yagoda grunted but said nothing. He would intrude anyways, regardless of what she did. All of the water tribesmen here were like that. He left the room and she couldn't help but sigh at the man. "Sometimes I don't know what to do with that old coot," she muttered to herself. Turning towards the bed, she raised her eyebrows at the boy who apparently was already almost up out of bed.

While Zuko let the two adults bicker amongst themselves, he finally found himself able to move. Propping up his elbow, he was about to sit up when he began being assaulted by a surge of headaches, forcing him to lie back down. Still no good, he thought to himself. Yagoda was already at his side, her left hand suddenly alight with a glow that almost startled him. His breath hitched when she pressed the palm of her cool hand against his chest checking for any signs of irregularity, before moving upwards towards his forehead. The glow from her hand was bright and he momentarily had to constrict his eyes to adjust.

So she's a Water bender, he thought. He felt himself sigh in relief when his headaches slowly began to fade away. "There now, that should do it. Now I would advise you to stay and rest for the duration of the day, but I doubt you would want that," She began, eyeing his features with a warming smile, something that Zuko found startlingly bizarre. "Ilyia my dear!" she hollered.

"H-Hau!?" There was a shriek, followed by a series of large crashing noises in the back of the room. An Infirmary, he noticed now that he was better enough to look around from his bed. Yagoda pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. "Oh that girl," she complained. "Come here Ilyia! This isn't the time for your nervousness now!"

"Y-yes Master Yagoda," the young woman replied when she entered the room with a small bow. "Forgive me."

Zuko turned his head towards the woman and paused at her figure. For a moment she looked familiar, but upon her face rising to meet his, his head started to hurt again, possibly unconsciously trying to remember a face and events that took place before he found himself here. She was about an average height for normal women, rising to about five feet and a few inches; he could guess three, maybe four. She wore a blue parka that was bit darker in color than what he saw on the old woman and the other one, Pakku was his name wasn't it? Her ridiculously long dark brown hair that looked like it reached her lithe waist was tied to avoid distraction and he could tell by its sheen that she took great care of it. But the most interesting aspect about her was not her body but her face and eyes. Slender chin with a button like nose, her eyes held such a deep blue that she was almost identical to the face he was trying to place. And then it hit him.

She looked almost like Katara.

Soon as he placed the name of the face, clear memories began to form. The Catacombs of Ba Sing Se, The Avatar, his Uncle and Azula. He remembered. He remembered everything now, what he did, and the looks on their faces when…

Zuko suddenly felt guilty. He betrayed them, his uncle.

And Katara.

"_I trusted you! I thought you changed!"_

"_I have changed!"_

"Um…" Ilyia nervously shifted her frame closer to his bed. Zuko blinked again in her direction, noticing the other woman had already left the room. "Is there anything you would like to eat, or drink maybe?" she asked and Zuko found himself staring at her lips. "You must be hungry after being asleep for so long, I…I was just wondering…"

Zuko forced himself to ignore the light tingling feeling that raced down his spine. Her speech had a rich, mature tone for someone who looked so young. Her voice reminded him of his mother and he briefly wondered just how old she really was. "No," he lightly shook his head with a whisper. "But…thank you, I suppose."

Ilyia smiled, a light blush forming on her cheeks shyly looking down at her feet that suddenly made him frown. That was another thing that bothered him.

"Why?"

She looked up to his face confused. "Pardon?" she asked and Zuko found himself a bit irritated.

"Why help someone like me? You know who I am, don't you? Where I come from. What are you trying to gain by helping me- ugh!" Another oncoming series of headaches assaulted him and this time he couldn't help but pull his hand up to his forehead in reaction.

Ilyia blinked and slowly kneeled in front of his bed, her hands alight with a green and blue hue as she pressed them gently against his forehead. Zuko closed his eyes shut in pain, then relaxed and let the soothing settle in. "I don't know where you got the notion that I wanted anything but…"

She lifted one her hands from his head and pressed one against his cheek with a small smile. "It has always been in our blood to help our fellow brethren and sisters."

Zuko's eyes shot open in surprise and he turned to her with an incredulous look. Fellow what? Was that a joke? "Fellow brother and sister?! You can't be seriou…" he paused with a startle. Ilyia couldn't help but look on in confusion as Zuko caught notice of something on his hand. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Something was very wrong, he thought, raising his hand in the air with eyes wide in shock. "My…hand it's…" Ilyia's hands slowly left their place on him as Zuko rose to see himself for the very first time. Last he checked he remembered drowning in the arctic sea, not lava from a volcano. These weren't burns. So it was no surprise why Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, son of Fire Lord Ozai was startled when he stared down not at pale almost milky white hands, but caramel brown skin.

This…this couldn't be right.

Forcing himself up into a sitting position he stared at both his hands. They were the same as he remembered, yet so different. He had no shirt on but the candle lights in the room glistened against the rich caramel color of his skin. He wasn't dreaming, nor was he dead, not that he'd felt it anyways. He forced himself off the bed with a severe grunt and Ilyia looked on worried and stood up from her position to balance him.

"Ah, wait, you shouldn't be up in your condition right now," she said, worry etched on her face. "Yagoda will scold me if I let…"

"Mirror," he said and Ilyia blinked. "Eh?"

"Show me a mirror or at least a glass!" he panicked, and she reluctantly obliged, moving him across the cold floor towards a large glass near what looked to be a storage of some sort, filled with blankets, sheets, furs and water skins, about fifteen or so feet away from the bed. Ilyia directed his body in front of the tall glass that looked like it was etched into the wall and Zuko froze. Staring back at him was not the person he was expecting. His skin looked much darker in tone then it had been for definitely, and his eyes, as blue as he'd never seen before, but that was not what startled Zuko, no.

"My Face…" he whispered in shock, running a hand over where his scar should have been. The scar that marked his shame and was one of the turning points in his life was replaced by what appeared to be a tattoo in the shape of a crescent moon, lining directly in the middle of his left eye. It almost appeared black, but looking more closely would tell any person that it was a darker shade than most brown colors. He saw a lot of things in his lifetime that were bizarre and abnormal. This was the first time he'd see anything like this and still wouldn't believe.

For the person staring back at him was not one from the Fire Nation;

Zuko became a Water Tribesman.

* * *

That's it for now. A bit short but it'll do. I also have to resume my other fan fiction seeing as I have not touched those in so long.

Tell me what you think. Au revoir.


End file.
